Ah, the first Wednesday of February, aka National Signing Day -- one of my favorite days of the year.
It's a day that I usually begin in my house around 6 a.m. with my television on ESPNU as coverage begins with the nation's best high school football players making their declarations of where they are going to continue their college careers -- some in pretty dramatic fashion.
And it goes on all day as rankings for each class are updated throughout the day for football. Signing are also held for other sports as well all across the country.
My first signing day in Arkansas in 2005 was pretty memorable. I remember getting up at the crack of dawn in Jonesboro and heading south to Wynne, where one of the Yellowjackets' offensive lineman was signing with the Hogs.
If I remember correctly, I went from Wynne back up to Hoxie for another signing and then ended up somewhere else in Northeast Arkansas. It was a fun day.
Covering Rogers and Bentonville for several years, signing days were always interesting, particularly when former Rogers star Lee Ziemba signed with Auburn in the winter of 2007.
Here in Siloam Springs, I've had as many as 10 kids sign in one day, and sometimes it's just one or two.
But it's always special. Seeing kids sign never gets old.
As of this writing on Monday afternoon, six Siloam Springs athletes are planning on signing letters of intent at 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon to continue their athletic careers in college.
A signing ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Panther Activity Center.
Football lineman Corbin Collins is expected to sign with Pittsburg (Kan.) State. Girls golfer Kaitlyn Robinson is going to be headed out to Providence Christian College in Pasadena, Calif.
Boys soccer players Eli Jackson and Christian Marroquin are going to continue their careers. Jackson is heading to John Brown and Marroqin to Crowder in Missouri.
Volleyball standouts Ellie Lampton and Chloe Price are also signing, with Lampton staying in town here at John Brown and Price is heading to back-to-back NJCAA Division II national champion Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College.
These kids have all left their mark on their respective sports in Siloam Springs. I look forward to seeing how things pan out for them at the next level.
-- Graham Thomas is the managing editor for the Herald-Leader. He can be reached at [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Sports on 02/06/2019